The Seeress of Kell, Act 3, Scene Two
by Shinydan Howell
Summary: The throne room of BARON ASTELLIG. Enter BARON, GARION, ZAKATH and the SHE-WOLF.


BARON

'Tis ever thus, good friends. For though stout stone

provides protection from our foes, 'tis cold

eternally, and winter's chill seeps slowly

from its grasp. So, do we burn our fires

e'en when these shores are bathed in summer's warmth.

GARION

It is, my lord, as though dost speak, and in

the walls of great Vo Mimbre, thy cousins

distant feel that same unchanging season.

BARON

And thou, Sir Knight, hath seen Vo Mimbre? I

would give all that I own, all that I am,

to view that fabled city. Speak on it.

GARION

'Tis mighty, and its golden stones doth shine

reflected light in such bright beams, 'tis if

it were thy kin's intent to put the sun to shame.

BARON (in tears)

Blesséd am I, oh knight most eloquent!

For this brief meeting with a man of such

nobility doth give my life its crown.

The memory of that great citadel

doth echo down the decades since our day

of exile here in Perivor – though that

great sound grows more remote with each year that

goes by, until, like dreams that fade and die

our memories of our ancestral home

grow dim.

ZAKATH

My lord, thy speech hath touched my heart.

If I have pow'r – and, by my troth, I do -

then thou shalt be conveyed with all due speed

to Vo Mimbre of legend, whereupon

I shall present thee to the throne in that

great palace there, that we may reunite

thee with thy brethren, long since lost to thee.

GARION _aside, to Z. _ You see? It gets to be habit-forming.

BARON I note this hound of thine, Sir Knight – a bitch,

I do perceive – (SHE-WOLF growls deeply)

GARION (aside) Steady.

SHEWOLF I find that term

he used most offensive.

GARION He coined it not.

BARON (nervously)

I do perceive she is intelligent

beyond the wits of those poor dogs who roam

this realm, and of a lean and lithesome build

is she. I pray thee, tell what breed she is?

GARION (milking it) She is – a wolf, my lord.

BARON (jumps on throne, grasps robe around legs)

A wolf! We must

all flee, before the beast devours us all!

GARION (scratches SHE-WOLF's ears)

SHE-WOLF As I love thee, child, try that trick but once. (GARION moves as if nipped)

BARON Sir Knight, thou art brave beyond all belief!

GARION

She is my friend, my lord, and linked to me

by ties beyond the realms of common thought.

BARON

Thou canst speak with the beasts?

GARION Not all, my lord.

I cannot, for example, master yet

the language of the snake. In truth, I think

my tongue is ill-shaped for it.

BARON

A forked wit!

Thou hast given me much to think on here,

and more to wonder at. But, to the matter.

What canst thou tell me of thy worthy quest?

SHE-WOLF

Be very careful here.

GARION

So that's your task!

I'd wondered. Glad I am to stand beside

a creature so well loved.

SHE-WOLF

Good pup! But keep

thy knowledge to thyself for now. Well? Speak!

GARION

As thou dost know, my lord, great evil stalks

abroad in these fell days.

BARON

Tis all too true.

GARION

Tis the sworn task of this, my friend and I,

this evil to seek out. But know this truth -

that rumour, like a dog, doth run before

us, barking out our names to our great foe.

So roused, would their dark minions slow our path.

Thus, all unwilling, do we hide behind

these masks of steel, that our faces, too

well known for deeds of honour 'round the world,

do not appraise our target of our wrath.

We two do not fear any thing on life,

but our companions on this quest are all

too dear to us to risk – and more, that quest

surroundéd is by magics perilous

So that our prowess will be at sore test.

And so, although our masking be affront,

we bear it up, and know that each step brings

us close towards that miscreant despised,

and speeds the day when they shall be chastised.

BARON (excited)

My sword, and those of all my house, will stand

to strike this evil's heart at your command!

GARION

My lord Astellig, give thy troops their ease.

It may not be. I wish it were not so.

Our company doth stand on pain of death

to meet our obligations on our own.

To aid us now risks bringing down the wrath

of the undying spirits that surround

this mortal world. Those spirits who weigh in

upon our side would leave us all too soon

if we defied their word and asked for help.

BARON

Although it wounds my heart, I will concur.

Know then this news a kinsman of mine brought

from Perivor, the capital. Not five

days since, a wizard did appear at the

king's side, and with some magics of his own,

no doubt hath easily beguiled him, and

holds now all the power in the kingdom.

If this dark mage doth serve the foe you seek,

the task you face grows grim. I wish our king,

noble though he be, had proved a harder

challenge for his spells. Alas, our liege is

somewhat lacking in his wits, oft-times. I

do implore thee, stay! Face not this mage?

GARION

I thank thee, Lord, but destiny must guide

our steps – and we know that Dal Perivor

must be our destination. But fear not.

If we are meant to rid your kingdom of

this wizard's baleful influence, we will.

BARON

May the Gods and the eternal spirits

guide your hand. An – if it please thee – I would

watch as thee and thy companion, whose few

words, I pray, will come to pass, administer

whate'er...

ZAKATH

Chastisement?

BARON You see fit.

ZAKATH

We would be honoured, good my lord.

BARON

So, then.

Dal Perivor awaits. The king will hold

a royal tourney, to select some few

to travel on a different quest for him.

Woulds't thou join me to travel to the court?

GARION

Thy noble gesture could not suit us more.

And now, good lord, we retire, to prepare.

SHEWOLF (to Garion)

Well enough done – for a pack of puppies.

BARON (brooding)

Perhaps it is the Dal in me that swears

We shall not find this wizard unprepared.


End file.
